What prompts someone to become a TV meteorologist? Nick Hytrek talked with Chad Sandwell, chief meteorologist, KMEG, to find out.
1. How did you become interested in the weather?
It really goes back to my childhood and growing up in the Midwest watching thunderstorms. Going back to when I was 7 or 8 we had a big sliding glass door and I would watch the lightning and it was fascinating.
2. What was it that hooked you?
I think just the lightning and thunderstorms, the noise and power. One minute it's there and the next minute it's gone. It's just the sheer force behind those things.
3. When did you decide to be a meteorologist?
I probably knew when I was in second, third grade it was something I wanted to do.
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4. What type of education and training is needed?
I got a bachelor of arts in atmospheric science from the University of Kansas.
5. How long have you been a meteorologist?
In November it'll be 18 years.
6. How much data do you look at when developing a weather forecast?
On a clear day when it's really simple, you can put one together in 30-40 minutes. On a day like today (hot and humid), you can be looking at things for hours. If I know there's a big event coming, I'll spend three or four hours a day easy looking at it before I get to work.
7. How long does it take to come up with a forecast?
Most days I'll get here at 2 o'clock and we've got a show at 5 and I'll be working up to five minutes before the show.
8. How has technology improved to make forecasting more accurate?
It's just the data that's available now. When I started there were two basic models that you could get every 12 hours. Now there are more models available that crunch the data down.
9. How much better is the technology than 10, 20 years ago?
It's leaps and bounds. Back then we had dot matrix printers and dial-up modems. Now I can sit at home and tap into the computer here and work on it from home or I can tap into it with my phone.
10. What's the hardest part about forecasting?
The fact that things can change at a moment's notice. One small change in something in the atmosphere can mess up your whole forecast.
11. Do you keep track of how often the weather turns out how you forecast it?
I keep a daily log of all my forecasts. I've got a specific goal in mind in what I want to get.
12. What do you consider an accurate forecast?
The biggest thing everybody's going to notice is the temperature because that's something that happens every day. I try to keep that within three degrees. My goal is when there's a big event coming in, I expect to get those right.
13. Do you get calls from people complaining when the weather doesn't turn out how you forecast it?
Not so much the right or wrong. The complaints we get are 'Why are you cutting into "Survivor" when there's a thunderstorm warning in Spencer when I live in Norfolk?'
14. Is there any pressure to get the forecast right for big holiday weekends when people make plans dependent upon the weather?
The pressure I get I put on myself. I don't get pressure from my bosses, and I don't get pressure from viewers. It's a pride thing.
15. Is there one season of the year that's easier or harder to forecast?
Winter is harder because there's just so many variables that go into winter weather.
16. Do you hope for uneventful weather patterns or do you like to see weather systems and events more often?
I like event-driven weather. I don't necessarily like to see tornadoes, but I like a good thunderstorm. To me, if we get an active weather pattern, that gives me something to talk about and the ability to keep it fresh.
17. Do you get an adrenaline rush when all those watches and warnings start popping up?
Yeah. I think back to Mapleton (tornado two years ago). We were on the air for four and a half hours straight without a break, without a commercial. We had warnings popping up and reports coming in. There's no more of an adrenalin rush than spring storms.
18. Do you go out and do any storm chasing?
One of the things I wish I could do more of is being out there watching storms develop.
19. What's the craziest weather day or night you've covered?
Mapleton would have to be up there and Hurricane Brett back in 1999 (while working in Texas). Hurricane Brett was a three-day marathon. In all that time I think I had eight hours of sleep.
20. How many times are you out in public and have people come up and complain about or ask you questions about the weather?
The comment that you hear all the time, and it's in jest most of the time, is 'Hey, you've got the best job because you only have to be right 50 percent of the time' or they'll ask me when's the rain coming.
